Oh, Shakespeare and Company. I’ve been to this store twice, the first time to buy a tote bag in 2014 and the second time to buy another tote along with a copy of To Capture What We Cannot Keep earlier this year. I knew it wasn’t the same store as the one that the Lost Generation frequented, but I had no idea of its rich history or what an interesting person George Whitman was. I first thought this book would…
Marie-Laure lives in Paris with her father and is blind from age 6. She has memorized the model of their Paris neighborhood that her father made her from wood and loves to read Jules Verne. Werner is a German boy who lives in a group home with his sister. He teaches himself how to fix a radio they found and they listen in secret while the other children are sleeping. We get to see Marie-Laure and Werner grow up into…
My shiny new bookshelves and reading chair. Note: many TBR books and all my cookbooks are missing from this picture. Recommended by a librarian: The Little French Bistro by Nina George Adapted into a movie: Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky Genre that is new to you: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty Fiction: Will You Ever Change? by Aurélie ValognesWashington state author: Winter by Marissa Meyer Choose a book by its cover: Down Among the Sticks and Bones…
Bonjour and happy Wednesday! I am currently in the air and on my way to Atlanta for a road trip to New Orleans for Nola StoryCon. I get to spend a week in the south eating the best food and enjoying one last chance at summer weather (Seattle has been very disappointing, but then again no one has AC so that’s probably a good thing). I am very excited to be meeting Charlaine Harris and Delilah S. Dawson for the…
Diane Ratican, a native Californian, gives us this whimsical book comparing two of her favorite cities in Why LA? Pourquoi Paris? Between charming illustrations of Paris by Eric Giriat and LA by Nick Lu, Ratican narrates the main points that make these two cities alike and different. I’ve seen a lot of compare/contrasts between New York City and Los Angeles, or Paris and NYC, but never LA and Paris and I like that that sets this book apart from the rest. I have…
Bonjour! Happy Wednesday and Happy September. I’ve spent the past month obsessively reading so I could complete all the squares for the Seattle Public Library’s Summer Book Bingo. It felt pretty good to set a goal for myself and complete it, even if it is something I was going to do anyway. Read with a purpose, I say. Now I’m on to catch up on ARCs on NetGalley. Book One of the final books I read for Summer Book Bingo…
Bonjour friends and happy Wednesday. I feel like I started my week off on the right foot because of a post by Georgianna Lane on Instagram. She’s hosting a giveaway and the question she asks to be answered to win is, “leave a quick comment about something that inspires you this week.” I had two answers: my writing group (where I currently am writing from. I worked on book stuff too though) and looking forward to my Atlanta/New Orleans trip next month….
This book was recommended to me on Amazon about a year ago, after reading Out of Sorts and The Red Notebook. I’m not sure why I was resistant to reading it at first but now I’m so glad that I did. The author was even in town a few weeks ago and I had a feeling that I should have gone but I didn’t. Next time though! Ove is the grumpiest old man one can possibly imagine. He thinks if…
Bonjour mes amis! Happy mercredi and welcome back to another installment of Wednesday Whimsy. Book Today I found out about a new Paris-themed book on Anne’s Instagram called Don’t be a Tourist in Paris. It sounds DELIGHTFUL: “…find the most eccentric architecture, get cozy in hidden cafes, party in the catacombs, tour the city with a broken heart, and wander like a true bohemian. A lively, eccentric and esoteric guide to the hidden Paris of your dreams, from an outsider…
The latest book by Aurélie Valognes, Will You Ever Change, is a look inside the Le Guennec family: Martine, Jacques, and their three sons and respective significant others. The girls aren’t completely innocent, but Jacques does nothing to help the strained relationship between the girls and their in-laws. He doesn’t make things easy with his wife, either. They have a very old fashioned relationship where he worked to bring money home and Martine did absolutely everything else. Martine is tired…